Winter Song
by MistyOwl9240
Summary: Tessa and Jem spending their Christmas together in Los Angeles. "Tessa thought back all those years. Indeed, she had heard this piece before. She thought back to a night many years ago. The night when he played on his precious violin." Post Clockwork Princess. A Christmas gift for Infernal Devices readers. :)


Tessa stirred in her peaceful slumber. A lovely violin melody coaxed her out of the darkness. She was reminded of a night when she first heard it many years ago. She yawned and stretched, opening her eyes. For all she knew, it was the middle of the night here in Los Angeles. It was almost Christmas; the streets were lit with festive lights even at this unlikely hour. Through the hotel window, she could see flakes of snow drifting through the air.

Inside the room, Jem sat in a chair by the foot of the bed playing a song on his iPod to her surprise. _He didn't bring his violin along,_ she silently reminded herself. So why did this sound exactly like his? The volume was soft so as to not disturb other guests, but loud enough for Tessa to hear it. It was a familiar song she should have recognized in all her years, but didn't. Perhaps it was new?

She must have made some sort of noise because Jem turned to look at her. "Tessa?" he asked, turning down the music. "Did I wake you?" The concern in his voice filled her heart with more love for him than ever before, if that were even possible.

She shook her head on the pillow. "It's fine. The music was just so beautiful."

"Is it?" he inquired showing the slightest hint of a smile. Tessa's heart clenched. His smiles were a rare sight now, since he severed his connection from the Brotherhood. Being a Silent Brother had probably taken its toll on him, as did Will's death. For over a hundred years, he was separated from those he loved and was forced to watch them wither and die from afar, never able to say goodbye. Will was an exception, but Brother Enoch had allowed it only because of the strong bond between them.

Tessa glanced at him. Since their reunion, she couldn't stop thinking about how different he looked now: older, wiser, and stronger. The silver colors were gone—save for a streak in his hair—and replaced with a darker look. His hair was brownish-black, his eyes like dark brown with glints of gold, and his skin more tan. He looked only a bit older than she had last seen him, twenty perhaps, at first glance. Tessa knew better. There was a sort of wisdom hidden behind them that young people did not have. All of his years were masked by his personality. He possessed the trait of curiosity, especially in the modern society of today: technology, new music, the camera; a probable result of most of his years spent in darkness and silence.

Jem broke her chain of reminiscence. "Tessa? Are you alright?" She smiled at the look on his face. At least his expressions didn't change. She didn't answer with words, merely sat up on the bed, beckoning to him. Leaving the song playing quietly, he climbed in next to her, cradling her.

Tessa smiled against his chest. "I've missed this," she sighed. What she said was true. They hadn't cuddled like this for so many years. Too many years. He said nothing, merely kissed her forehead.

She mentally captured this moment in her head. This would be her last love and she wanted to remember it. Jem was mortal now, and he would die. All he ever wanted was a normal life, and now he had it. For Tessa, the pain is harder to bear. She already suffered greatly from watching Will pass, then knowing her own children would follow. Now, it was Jem's turn. When he did, she would not love again. He would go on to whatever life was after this while she stayed behind with a heavy heart. By then, she will have lost two of her greatest loves. If there were a way to make herself mortal, she did not know of it. That was the misfortune of her long life. Tessa knew she should not think of these things so soon. He still had plenty of his years to spend with her. Eventually though, she knew she must face the fact. Loving him might be a risk, but it was worth taking.

Jem suddenly collapsed onto the pillows, dragging her with him. She yelped in protest at the amused look on his face. Despite her startle, there was a fire in his eyes that could not be ignored. Wind from the fall had blown his hair into a disarray. She reached to straighten it, but he caught her hand. "Tessa…" he breathed, letting her hand slide down his chest.

The lust in his voice made her look up. "Jem," she replied softly. He buried his face in her hair, running his fingers on her neck along the way. She sighed contently. He continued down, sliding her shirt aside to kiss her shoulder. _Just like that night in 1878,_ she thought, but they were forced to stop there. Would they stop now?

His lips told her no. They had no reason to stop. There was no need for silver powder, nothing to knock over this time. For that, Tessa was glad. Jem adjusted himself on top of her and bent down, capturing her lips. The kiss was feverish and full of desire. Butterflies settled in her stomach, making up for all the time lost. Vaguely, she noticed that they were far too close to the edge of the bed, dangerously close to falling off. She tried the roll them over the other way, but he misunderstood her intentions, rolling the opposite direction. He fell with her right on top of him. She winced at the loud crash they made. No doubt that woke some people up.

Jem sat up, unscathed and grinning. "Are you trying to kill me Tessa?" he asked amused.

Tessa sighed in relief against his shoulder. If he weren't a shadowhunter, the fall would have caused some injury. Playing along, she pretended to be disappointed. "Unfortunately, it didn't work as well as I hoped. You're too strong."

He smirked playfully. "Perhaps you just didn't try hard enough. I thought with all that time training with the Lightwoods, you might have learned _something_."

Tessa laughed, tackling him down again. "Oh, I did," she smiled at the surprise in his expression.

"I demand a rematch!" he exclaimed, half-chuckling.

"Oh?" she asked. "Starting from where?"

In answer, he kissed her. "From here."

Tessa smirked against his lips. "Alright. I can do that."

"Good," he said, bending down once more.

The night passed slowly for the couple as they relished kisses and touches from the other. Tessa found areas that pleasured him while he in turn explored her body. They made a few attempts to get back into the bed, but lust and laze had prevented them from doing so.

Sometime in between, Tessa had asked Jem how his family was doing. He recently found a Carstairs line living in Los Angeles, so the two made plans to visit. Here, he'd met Emma Carstairs and her family, descendants of Elias Carstairs. It was hard to determine exactly how they related because Elias was his uncle and had long since passed while Jem lived on as a Silent Brother. He didn't want to frighten his family so he decided to pose as a different family member. They did the math, figuring that he could be a distant cousin.

The subject was dropped and they spent the rest of the night laying in silence, listening to the violin music playing on the iPod.

They had fallen asleep on the floor, Jem's shirt cast aside recklessly. The violin music had long since played itself out on the iPod, and rays of sunlight were now grazing their faces. Tessa was first to awaken. She detached herself from Jem and gave him a morning kiss. He shifted, casting an arm over his eyes to block the sunlight. She giggled softly, and shook him. "Jem, it's time to wake up."

He groaned in protest. "Do I have to?"

"Yep." She crossed to room and found his iPod lying on the table. "Maybe music will help your mind activate." She pushed play.

The song from last night sounded from the speakers. Jem sighed, standing up. "That song is supposed to help you fall asleep, not get up."

Tessa didn't seem to hear him, she was too busy puzzling over the screen. "There's no title or artist," she said confused. "How do you download a song that doesn't have a title or artist?"

"I didn't download it," he said gently. "You don't remember?"

Tessa set her mind to work. She thought back a hundred years. Indeed, she had heard this piece before. She thought back to a night many years ago. The night when he played a piece on his precious violin for her. A piece that he wrote for her. It was the very same melody as the one playing through iPod speakers right now. She inhaled sharply at the realization. "You recorded this yourself?" she breathed.

He nodded. "_Ying wei wo ai ni_," he said, opening his arms. She walked into his embrace. _Because I love you_. Her heart nearly burst at the tenderness of it all.

"Hey, do you want to hear a fun fact about this song?" Jem suddenly broke the silence.

"Sure."

"I wrote this piece the winter after I met you. So… I guess you could call it a winter song."

Tessa almost laughed at the randomness of this statement if it weren't so sweet. "Well, thank you. It's truly a beautiful piece. I'm glad it's written for me."

Jem pulled away, smiling softly. "In that case, may I have this dance?"

The shock must have shown on her face because he chuckled. "Jem! We're hardly in the state to dance properly. I'm in pajamas and you're… well, you're shirtless!"

"How blunt!" he mocked hurt before softening his features. "Whether you're in plain pajamas or the most intricate wedding gown, you would still be beautiful to me, Tessa."

She blushed at this. "Alright, charmer. I accept your request."

His eyes lit up. "It will be my pleasure to dance with you in pajamas, Tessa Gray."

Tessa let out an easy laugh, as she always did with him. "I agree, James Carstairs."

They began moving to the music. Jem led them into a waltz, somehow finding the trademark three-beat rhythm in the medley of notes with the grace of a shadowhunter. Tessa laid her head on his shoulder, enjoying the tranquility. The music enveloped the couple in a series beautiful harmonies as they waltzed the morning away.


End file.
